Outliers of Treatment Frequency in Retinal Vein Occlusion: 24-Month Comparative Analysis of Fight Retinal Blindness! Practitioners.

Background: We aimed to describe a 2-year outcome of eyes managed by practitioners benchmarked using a funnel plot by their frequency of treatment using vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) inhibitors for naive retinal vein occlusion (RVO).

Methods: A multicentre, international, observational study of 29 doctors in 12 countries managing 1110 eyes with RVO commencing VEGF inhibitors between 1 January 2012-2022 tracked in the Fight Retinal Blindness! registry.

Results: We identified 3 outlying 'intensive' practitioners (managing 350/1110 eyes [32%]), 22 'typical' practitioners (604/1110, [54%]) and 4 outlying 'relaxed' practitioners (156/1110, [14%]) with respective 24-month outcomes in Branch and Central RVO including the primary outcome, mean adjusted change in visual acuity (VA) in BRVO: +16.

Model-Informed Once-Daily Dosing Strategy for Bedaquiline and Delamanid in Children, Adolescents and Adults with Tuberculosis.

The complexity of the currently registered dosing schedules for bedaquiline and delamanid is a barrier to uptake in drug-resistant tuberculosis treatment across all ages. A simpler once-daily dosing schedule is critical to ensure patient-friendly regimens with good adherence. We assessed expected drug exposures with proposed once-daily doses for adults and compared novel model-informed once-daily dosing strategies for children with current World Health Organization (WHO) recommended dosing.

Genomic investigation of plant secondary metabolism: insights from synteny network analysis of oxidosqualene cyclase flanking genes.

The clustered distribution of genes involved in metabolic pathways within the plant genome has garnered significant attention from researchers. By comparing and analyzing changes in the flanking regions of metabolic genes across a diverse array of species, we can enhance our understanding of the formation and distribution of biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs). In this study, we have designed a workflow that uncovers and assesses conserved positional relationships between genes in various species by using synteny neighborhood networks (SNN).

Factors associated with patients' demand for low-value care: a scoping review.

Background: Low-value care is unnecessary care that contributes to inefficient use of health resources and constitutes a considerable proportion of healthcare expenditures worldwide. Factors contributing to patients' demand for low-value care have often been overlooked and are dispersed in the literature. Therefore, the current study aimed to systematically summarize factors associated with patients' demand for low-value care.

Reusing routine electronic health record data for nationwide COVID-19 surveillance in nursing homes: barriers, facilitators, and lessons learned.

Background: At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, little was known about the spread of COVID-19 in Dutch nursing homes while older people were particularly at risk of severe symptoms. Therefore, attempts were made to develop a nationwide COVID-19 repository based on routinely recorded data in the electronic health records (EHRs) of nursing home residents. This study aims to describe the facilitators and barriers encountered during the development of the repository and the lessons learned regarding the reuse of EHR data for surveillance and research purposes.

The relationship between callous-unemotional traits and internalizing psychopathology in adolescent psychiatric inpatients: a network analysis.

Background: Numerous studies have investigated the relevance of callous-unemotional traits in relation to externalizing psychopathology among children and adolescents. However, less research has examined the connections between callous-unemotional traits and internalizing psychopathology and findings were inconsistent. Consequently, the present study aimed to elucidate the role of callous-unemotional traits in the context of depression and anxiety while controlling for conduct problems, age, and gender.

Family concerns in organ donor conversations: a qualitative embedded multiple-case study.

Background: Listening and responding to family concerns in organ and tissue donation is generally considered important, but has never been researched in real time. We aimed to explore in real time, (a) which family concerns emerge in the donation process, (b) how these concerns manifest during and after the donor conversation, and (c) how clinicians respond to the concerns during the donor conversation.

Methods: A qualitative embedded multiple-case study in eight Dutch hospitals was conducted.

Does personality moderate the association between social involvement and personal recovery in psychosis?

Objective: Social factors are central in personal recovery (PR) and treatment of psychosis. However, weak associations between social involvement and PR were found. We aimed to replicate this weak association, and test whether it was explained by a moderating effect of neuroticism and extraversion.

Implementing HIV teams to improve HIV indicator condition-guided testing in general practitioner centers in the Netherlands.

Background: HIV indicator condition-guided testing is recommended by guidelines to identify undiagnosed HIV infections. However, general practitioners (GPs) frequently see patients for indicator conditions without testing them for HIV. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether implementing HIV teams, using trained GP ambassadors, promoted local HIV indicator condition-guided testing practices in urban GP centers in the Netherlands.

The effect of eye movement desensitization on neurocognitive functioning compared to retrieval-only in PTSD patients: a randomized controlled trial.

Background: There is robust evidence that posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with neurocognitive deficits, such as executive dysfunction or memory dysfunction. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is an evidence-based treatment for PTSD, in which eye movements (EMs) are performed during traumatic memory retrieval. We examined whether Eye Movement Desensitization (EMD) improves neurocognitive functioning in PTSD patients, in comparison with a retrieval-only control condition without EMs.

Toward value-based care using cost mining: cost aggregation and visualization across the entire colorectal cancer patient pathway.

Background: The aim of this study is to develop a method we call "cost mining" to unravel cost variation and identify cost drivers by modelling integrated patient pathways from primary care to the palliative care setting. This approach fills an urgent need to quantify financial strains on healthcare systems, particularly for colorectal cancer, which is the most expensive cancer in Australia, and the second most expensive cancer globally.

Methods: We developed and published a customized algorithm that dynamically estimates and visualizes the mean, minimum, and total costs of care at the patient level, by aggregating activity-based healthcare system costs (e.

Explaining persistent physical symptoms to patients in general practice: can tests to measure central sensitisation add value? A mixed-methods study.

Introduction: General practitioners (GPs) often face challenges in explaining to patients with persistent physical symptoms (PPS) why their symptoms persist. Providing an explanation of the central sensitisation (CS) mechanism to patients could be helpful, yet GPs do not routinely test for signs of CS in these patients. The aim of this study was to explore the value of applying a test to assess CS in enhancing explanations provided to patients.

The impact of the covid-19 pandemic on perceived diabetes care and regulation, with a focus on ethnic minorities: a mixed-methods study.

Background: This study aimed to explore the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting changes to diabetes care, especially concerning disease control, the use of (tele)consultation and lessons worth implementing to improve diabetes care, with a specific focus on ethnic minority groups.

Methods: A mixed-methods prospective cohort study among people with type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) treated in primary care during the COVID-19 pandemic. A survey was sent regionally, including items related to teleconsultation and amount of contact with the healthcare professional.

Seed tuber microbiome can predict growth potential of potato varieties.

Potato vigour, the growth potential of seed potatoes, is a key agronomic trait that varies significantly across production fields due to factors such as genetic background and environmental conditions. Seed tuber microbiomes are thought to influence plant health and crop performance, yet the precise relationships between microbiome composition and potato vigour remain unclear. Here we conducted microbiome sequencing on seed tuber eyes and heel ends from 6 potato varieties grown in 240 fields.

Assessment and ascertainment in psychiatric molecular genetics: challenges and opportunities for cross-disorder research.

Psychiatric disorders are highly comorbid, heritable, and genetically correlated [1-4]. The primary objective of cross-disorder psychiatric genetics research is to identify and characterize both the shared genetic factors that contribute to convergent disease etiologies and the unique genetic factors that distinguish between disorders [4, 5]. This information can illuminate the biological mechanisms underlying comorbid presentations of psychopathology, improve nosology and prediction of illness risk and trajectories, and aid the development of more effective and targeted interventions.

Integrating Ecological Suitability and Socioeconomic Feasibility at Landscape Scale to Restore Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services in Southern Chile.

Deforestation and forest degradation are key drivers of biodiversity loss and global environmental change. Ecosystem restoration is recognized as a global priority to counter these processes. Forest restoration efforts have commonly adopted a predominantly ecological approach, without including broader socioeconomic variables and the characteristics of the rural context.

Cost-effectiveness of FRAX®-based intervention thresholds for management of osteoporosis in Indian women: a Markov microsimulation model analysis.

Unlabelled: A cost-effectiveness analysis of FRAX® intervention thresholds (ITs) in Indian women over 50 years indicated that generic alendronate was cost-effective for age-dependent major osteoporotic fracture (MOF) ITs and hip fracture (HF) ITs starting at ages 60 and 65 years for full and real-world adherence, respectively. Alendronate was cost-effective at fixed MOF IT of 14% and HF IT of 3.5%, regardless of age.

Analysing the support mechanisms of the vaginal ring pessary on supine and upright MRI.

Vaginal pessaries have been used for millennia to alleviate symptoms of pelvic organ prolapse (POP). Despite their long-standing use, the success rate of pessary treatment is approximately 60%, and the underlying mechanisms of support are not well understood. This study aims to investigate three previously proposed hypotheses regarding the support mechanisms of pessaries, utilizing supine and upright magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): (1) support by bony structures, (2) support by levator ani muscles (LAM), and (3) the uterus keeping the pessary in place by acting as a lever.

Generation and characterization of CRISPR-Cas9-mediated XPC gene knockout in human skin cells.

Xeroderma pigmentosum group C (XPC) is a versatile protein crucial for sensing DNA damage in the global genome nucleotide excision repair (GG-NER) pathway. This pathway is vital for mammalian cells, acting as their essential approach for repairing DNA lesions stemming from interactions with environmental factors, such as exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun. Loss-of-function mutations in the XPC gene confer a photosensitive phenotype in XP-C patients, resulting in the accumulation of unrepaired UV-induced DNA damage.

Aperiodic spectral slope tracks the effects of brain state on saliency responses in the human auditory cortex.

Alteration of responses to salient stimuli occurs in a wide range of brain disorders and may be rooted in pathophysiological brain state dynamics. Specifically, tonic and phasic modes of activity in the reticular activating system (RAS) influence, and are influenced by, salient stimuli, respectively. The RAS influences the spectral characteristics of activity in the neocortex, shifting the balance between low- and high-frequency fluctuations.

Meta-analysis of the red advantage in combat sports.

Research has previously documented that across a range of Olympic combat sports, wearing red is associated with a higher probability of winning contests, especially when bouts are close. Yet, the hypothesis for a red advantage has not been systematically examined across multiple tournaments. Here, we report 6,589 contest outcomes for boxing, taekwondo, and wrestling from seven Summer Olympic Games (1996-2020) and nine World Boxing Championships (2005-2021).

The association between baseline viral load and long-term risk in patients with COVID-19 in Hong Kong: a territory-wide study.

COVID-19 can increase the long-term risk of multiorgan dysfunction. Few studies investigated the long-term risk in Asian populations or investigated the association between viral load and long-term risk. We aimed to investigate the post-discharge rates of hospitalization and association with baseline viral load in all patients with COVID-19 in Hong Kong.

Highly Efficient, Electro-thermal Heater Based on Marangoni-Driven, Oriented Reduced Graphene Oxide/Poly(ether imide) Nanolaminates.

Due to their outstanding electrical and thermal properties, graphene and related materials have been proposed as ideal candidates for the development of lightweight systems for thermoelectric applications. Recently, the nanolaminate architecture that entails alternation of continuous graphene monolayers and ultrathin polymer films has been proposed as an efficient route for the development of composites with impressive physicochemical properties. In this work, we present a novel layer-by-layer approach for the fabrication of highly ordered, flexible, heat-resistant, and electrically conductive freestanding graphene/polymer nanolaminates through alternating Marangoni-driven self-assembly of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and poly(ether imide) (PEI) films.

The endoplasmic reticulum as a cradle for virus and extracellular vesicle secretion.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are small membranous carriers of protein, lipid, and nucleic acid cargoes and play a key role in intercellular communication. Recent work has revealed the previously under-recognized participation of endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-associated proteins (ERAPs) during EV secretion, using pathways reminiscent of viral replication and secretion. Here, we present highlights of the literature involving ER/ERAPs in EV biogenesis and propose mechanistic parallels with ERAPs exploited during viral infections.